Quality score · CENT · Consumer Staples

Is Central Garden & Pet Co a quality business?

Central Garden & Pet Co (CENT) scored on five pillars from its reported financial statements, and ranked against 71 Consumer Staples companies.

5.6/ 10
Solid quality
as of October 17, 2026
Profitability
4.7 Average
Solvency
6.9 Average
Growth
4.0 Average
Efficiency
6.5 Average
Predictability
6.5 Average
Strongest pillar: Solvency · Weakest: Growth

Central Garden & Pet Co (CENT) scores 5.6 out of 10 as of , computed from its reported financial statements. That reads as solid quality. The reading rests on solvency, and growth is what holds it back.

Data provided by Twelve Data. Scores are computed by Lemma Analysis from reported financials.

Does Central Garden & Pet Co have an economic moat?

No moat

Central Garden & Pet Co’s filings do not show enough of the signs a moat leaves: 2 of 5 indicators passed.

Quantitative signs of a moat, read from the filed statements. This is not a judgement of where it comes from (brand, network effects, switching costs). How Lemma measures a moat →

How Central Garden & Pet Co scores

Central Garden & Pet Co (CENT) has a Lemma Quality Score of 5.6 out of 10 as of October 17, 2026, which reads as solid quality. A solid reading is a respectable business with clear strengths and at least one area that falls short of the best in its field. Five pillars feed it, and every one of them is computed from what the company reported rather than from its share price.

Among the 71 Consumer Staples companies with a published score, that ranks at the 44th percentile, in the lower half of the group, above the bottom quarter. For reference, the middle of the group scores 5.8 and a company needs 6.8 to reach its top quarter, which leaves Central Garden & Pet Co in line with the median.

Pillar by pillar

Profitability

On profitability, Central Garden & Pet Co scores 4.7, an average reading. Its peers have a median of 4.7 across 71 Consumer Staples companies, which places it in line with them, at the 50th percentile. Profitability in the middle of the range is neither a moat nor a warning: margins and returns look like those of an ordinary business in this line of work.

Solvency

On solvency, Central Garden & Pet Co scores 6.9, an average reading. Its peers have a median of 6.9 across 65 Consumer Staples companies, which places it in line with them, at the 49th percentile. Leverage in the middle of the range is rarely a problem in good years, and it is worth watching how quickly it would tighten in a weak one.

Growth

Central Garden & Pet Co’s growth score is 4.0 out of 10 (average). Against a median of 4.0 among 67 Consumer Staples companies, that is in line with the group and the 50th percentile. Average growth reflects a business expanding at roughly the pace of its sector, without a clear acceleration or decline.

Efficiency

Central Garden & Pet Co’s efficiency score is 6.5 out of 10 (average). Against a median of 6.7 among 68 Consumer Staples companies, that is in line with the group and the 41st percentile. Middling efficiency is unremarkable on its own, though improvements here tend to show up in free cash flow first.

Predictability

Central Garden & Pet Co’s predictability score is 6.5 out of 10 (average). Against a median of 6.1 among 71 Consumer Staples companies, that is in line with the group and the 64th percentile. Consistency near the median is typical, and it is worth checking whether the swings came from the business itself or from one-off items.

Strongest and weakest pillar

The profile is uneven. Solvency leads at 6.9 while growth trails at 4.0, a gap of 2.9 points, so the overall averages a clear strength against a clear soft spot. A solvency lead means the balance sheet is the company’s strongest asset, a cushion that buys time when trading gets harder. A growth shortfall often comes with size or a maturing market, and is less of a concern if the other pillars are strong.

What would move the score

Every scored pillar is at or above the median of Consumer Staples companies, so there is no catch-up left to lift the overall. The risk runs the other way: a one point fall in profitability, the heaviest of them, would take the score from 5.6 to about 5.3. All five pillars could be scored, so the overall uses the full set of weights out of 100: profitability 25, solvency 20, growth 20, efficiency 15, predictability 20.

Central Garden & Pet Co and similar companies

These are the Consumer Staples companies closest to Central Garden & Pet Co in market value. Each has its own page scored on the same five pillars, so the comparison is like for like.

What each pillar measures

Profitability

4.7 / 10

How much profit the company generates from its capital and sales.

Solvency

6.9 / 10

The company’s ability to service debt and meet its obligations.

Growth

4.0 / 10

How fast revenue, earnings and cash flow are compounding.

Efficiency

6.5 / 10

How well assets and earnings convert into cash and output.

Predictability

6.5 / 10

How stable and consistent results have been over time.

How this score is calculated

Each metric is scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks, where higher is better. Metrics roll up into five pillars, and the pillars combine into the overall score using the weights shown. Sector-sensitive metrics are judged relative to peers in the same sector.

Limitations

This score is a systematic, backward-looking read of reported fundamentals. It does not judge valuation, management quality, competitive moat, or future prospects, and can be distorted by one-off items or unusual accounting. Treat it as a starting point, not a recommendation.

Educational only. Not investment advice.

FAQ

Is Central Garden & Pet Co a quality business?

On this reading Central Garden & Pet Co scores 5.6 out of 10, which reads as solid quality. Its strongest pillar is solvency, its weakest is growth. Quality is not the same as a good investment: the score says nothing about the price you would pay.

How does Central Garden & Pet Co compare with other Consumer Staples companies?

Central Garden & Pet Co ranks at the 44th percentile of the 71 Consumer Staples companies Lemma publishes a score for. The median there is 5.8 and the top quarter starts at 6.8, against Central Garden & Pet Co’s 5.6.

What does the CENT quality score measure?

Five pillars, each scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks and then weighted into one overall reading: profitability, solvency, growth, efficiency and predictability. Everything comes from reported financials, and nothing comes from price, sentiment or forecasts.

How current is this score?

This page last changed on October 17, 2026. The score moves with the financial statements, so the page changes when a new filing moves the reading rather than on a schedule. Live figures for CENT are in the app.

Does a high score mean the stock is cheap?

No. Quality and valuation are separate questions, and a good business at the wrong price is still a bad purchase. Score the business here, then price it with a DCF you control.

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